Expert’s Choice: Coastal Tuscany

Over the last 30 years, the 270km of Tuscan coast that abuts the Tyrrhenian Sea has become another essential piece of the celebrated region’s viticultural patchwork. It’s an ample territory, nestled between the coastal strip and the foothills of the Apennines.

The maritime climate – with its mild winters, warm, sunny summers and constant sea breezes, which aerate the vines – and the wide range of grapes grown here are the common elements that distinguish the various terroirs of the coast from inland Tuscany.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 18 brilliant wines from the Tuscan coast

Pisa to Bolgheri

North of Pisa sit the two tiny DOCs of Colli di Luni and Candia dei Colli Apuani. Recently, both have been attracting praise for their mineral white Vermentino, but the latter also offers a particular Vermentino Nero, which produces reliable reds and rosés.

Nearby are the vineyards of the Lucca and Pisa hills, bastions of organic farming practices. A short distance south of the famous Leaning Tower lies a minuscule wine region adjacent to the ridge-top town of Riparbella. Sandy, white tufa soils, high-altitude vineyards and constant aeration are particular conditions for growing healthy bunches of international red varieties, but under the libertarian IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) wine category, a handful of dynamic wineries have focused on producing organic and biodynamic wines.

Further south stands the hamlet of Bolgheri, the birthplace of the Super Tuscans. Here, pioneering winemakers first began to plant international varieties, which today are grown together with native grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are often blended with Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot and sometimes Sangiovese.

Lately, there has been an increase in single-varietal wines, including examples made from the multifunctional Cabernet Franc. In recent years, Bolgheri has seen a well-defined approach to vinification and wood ageing, using more concrete vats for the former, and less new oak and larger casks for the latter.

Major appellations of the Tuscan coast

DOC Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia, Maremma Toscana; DOCG Morellino di Scansano;

IGT Toscana, Costa Toscana

Bolgheri to the Maremma

For Bolgheri white wines, there are no minimum requirements for ageing, giving producers stylistic freedom. Of the three most widespread white varieties, Vermentino is by far the most planted – wines are typically vinified in stainless steel only, although some producers are beginning to release Vermentino after a brief time stored in large, old oak barrels. Smaller quantities of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier are planted, with producers more frequently bottling oak-aged versions of these varieties.

Near to Bolgheri, to the west of the Colline Metallifere (‘metalliferous hills’) and around the Cornia river, lies the micro DOC of Val di Cornia, whose epicentre is in Suvereto. Here, red Bordeaux blends coexist harmoniously with the more broadly planted Sangiovese. For the whites, aside from Vermentino, some estates also produce Ansonica, often vinified in amphorae.

The southernmost part of the Tuscan coast – a wide, rural area known as the Maremma – embraces several different wine designations. Morellino di Scansano DOCG is a food-friendly, Sangiovese-based red that can be enjoyed in its youth at accessible prices, but it can also age well when made as a Riserva. Maremma Toscana DOC yields red wines – either entry-level or flagship – bottled as a single varietal, or as a blend of international varieties or the indigenous Ciliegiolo, Alicante Nero (Grenache) and, of course, Sangiovese.

As for white wines, Vermentino still remains the fingerprint of this part of coastal Tuscany; it’s the most widely bottled variety in the Maremma Toscana DOC. Rosés are also increasing in popularity. The rising success of the wines made here, and recognition of them by consumers, is partly due to innovative and flexible production regulations. But above all, it’s down to the work of the talented estates that firmly believe in the potential of this beautiful, rural coastal outpost of Tuscany.

18 excellent wines from the Tuscan coast

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